The Daily Need

The productivity desk

Survey: Half of us want to quit our jobs

By

June 23, 2011

More than half of American workers are unhappy at work, with a third already scoping out new jobs, according to a survey just released by the consulting firm Mercer. The other 21 percent of dissatisfied workers are staying, begrudgingly the survey says.

The survey, called “What’s Working,” asked 2,400 U.S. workers in late 2010 how they felt about their jobs and compensation. Responses showed a decline in almost every category versus the last survey in 2005, including pay, benefits and retirement contributions from employers.

The youngest employees were the least happy with 40 percent or more of those under 34 seriously considering leaving.

Workers considering leaving

Many employees don’t think their companies have their acts together, according to the Mercer survey; the lowest ratings came under the statement, “Believe organization as a whole is well-managed.” Mercer says these responses signal “diminished loyalty” and “widespread apathy.” It should be noted that the company provides “talent management” and “human capital” consulting services, which presumably can help companies improve these factors.

But, there is one category that saw an improvement at the end of 2010. In what might seem slightly surprising in a bad economy, almost half of employees felt better about their prospects for getting promotions and pay raises. That’s up from less than a third in 2005.

Gallup polls also show a decrease in employees’ satisfaction with their work environment. Every year since 2008, there’s been a gradual decrease in satisfaction. 2011 shows a sharper slide.

Gallup’s companion well-being index says all those unhappy workers might even suffer health consequences.  Of those who are “actively disengaged” in their work, less than a fifth say they have overall excellent health versus 31% of those who are engaged.  The actively disengaged also reported much higher rates of depression and obesity.

Even in an ailing economy, employees are not content just to have jobs.  They still place high value on happiness in the workplace.

Last modified: June 23, 2011 at 5:44 pm
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Comments

  • http://www.joomlarise.com/ Joomla Rise

    Career
    vs Family

    In this day and age where it seems as
    though there isn’t enough money to go around how do you decide between having a
    family or making your
    career a reality. Is it even possible for them to go hand
    in hand when they both need your undivided attention? Or have you already
    chosen one and you have now decided to go after the other. Here is a list that
    may help you out:

    1)     
    Plan, plan, plan

    Planning is an essential
    part to accomplishing anything that you may want to achieve in life. Without
    proper planning you may not be to see where you are going.

    2)     
    Set realistic
    time lines

    After all the planning is
    said and done you must have a deadline for when you would like to accomplish
    these goals. Think about how long it may take to accomplish each goal as well
    as take into consideration that set backs that may occur.

    3)     
    Re-evaluate

    Don’t just set your goals
    and forget about them. From time to time re-evaluate your goals to ensure that
    you are on the correct path to success.

    Joomla

    JoomlaRise

     
     

  • http://www.joomlarise.com/ Joomla Rise

    Career
    vs Family

    In this day and age where it seems as
    though there isn’t enough money to go around how do you decide between having a
    family or making your
    career a reality. Is it even possible for them to go hand
    in hand when they both need your undivided attention? Or have you already
    chosen one and you have now decided to go after the other. Here is a list that
    may help you out:

    1)     
    Plan, plan, plan

    Planning is an essential
    part to accomplishing anything that you may want to achieve in life. Without
    proper planning you may not be to see where you are going.

    2)     
    Set realistic
    time lines

    After all the planning is
    said and done you must have a deadline for when you would like to accomplish
    these goals. Think about how long it may take to accomplish each goal as well
    as take into consideration that set backs that may occur.

    3)     
    Re-evaluate

    Don’t just set your goals
    and forget about them. From time to time re-evaluate your goals to ensure that
    you are on the correct path to success.

    Joomla

    JoomlaRise

     
     

  • http://dbcooper.livejournal.com P.F. Bruns

    4)
    Account for stupid people

    There are people all around you, especially those in supervisory or management positions, who will hose up your prospects without even realizing it.  Keep a resume ready (and DON’T leave it on the printer at work!).

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=137000733 Maria Swora

    Is this broken down by types of jobs? Some categories of jobs just suck, and it’s the rare employee who’s happy.  They tend to be low wage jobs, such retail.  Control at work, good wages, and decent working conditions make all the difference in the world.

  • Alen_is

    I have not received the raise since 2007 and the cost of health insurance and the cost of living has been going up every year. I was actually bringing home less and less money every year. In meantime the company that I worked for was doing well financially and blamed the lack of raises on sluggish economy while its employees were struggling to keep up with high costs of living.

  • http://twitter.com/gwennebrask gwennebrask

    as quality of life diminishes via poor working conditions, the majority of our daytime hours, and workers are paid less, CEOs are paid more, i wonder when the revolution will come. let me know. i’m ready to protest.

  • Osager

    I worked for the state for over 22 years and was a good employee.  I worked hard at a job I loved.  Our city had a terrible hail storm that did damage to our bldg.  2 weeks later we had a killer rain.  Our office was destroyed.  We were shuffled around for 6 months with no end in sight for a new office.  50 employees spread out over 3 sites.  Made it impossible to do our jobs….I ran and retired a few months early to get away from the stress.  I feel for my coworkers who are still dealing with the crap.  Over a year after the hail, etc.  they are still homeless.  Ridiculous!

  • Osager

    I worked for the state for over 22 years and was a good employee.  I worked hard at a job I loved.  Our city had a terrible hail storm that did damage to our bldg.  2 weeks later we had a killer rain.  Our office was destroyed.  We were shuffled around for 6 months with no end in sight for a new office.  50 employees spread out over 3 sites.  Made it impossible to do our jobs….I ran and retired a few months early to get away from the stress.  I feel for my coworkers who are still dealing with the crap.  Over a year after the hail, etc.  they are still homeless.  Ridiculous!

  • Susan

    I like my job, my boss and my coworker, but am tired of going to work…

  • Catjzim

    I am happy doing the work I do. Its important work that makes a difference in people’s lives. Done well, can be a breath of kindness in an otherwise difficult time. I try to stay out of the constant chaos at work. I appreciate the leadership of my direct supervisor and feel for her – the skills it takes to navigate in the executive leadership of the organization.  Given the opportunity, I would work 32 hours per week, rather than 40. After 30 years of work, 40 feels like giving too much of myself to work.  There are so many other exciting things I’d rather be doing.

  • KDC

    What I’m finding is that more and more employers are expecting their employees to make their job and the company’s objectives THEIR priority and to be willing (and happy?) to work as much as they need them to. Most people don’t mind putting in some OT once in a while but not as an everyday expectation. Not wanting to work 60-80 hours does not make you a slacker and it doesn’t mean that you’re not a team player.  Many people could enjoy work more if the work-life balance were more realistic.  It’s becoming more and more the norm in professional work setting.Vacations are asked to be rescheduled because of work priorities.  You/your team pull off a major project but along with that came major stress and diminished personal life,  The company sees that it can be done and they expect that it can be done all the time.  And then, of course, they expect that you should be able to ‘stretch’ to reach new objectives.  What they’re not seeing or clearly just don’t care about is that they are quite literally killing their employees.  And they wonder why employee loyalty is declining?  Many large companies do yearly employee satisfaction surveys and then ignore the low ratings on work-life balance because it doesn’t help achieve their goals and line the pockets of the goobers who run the joint.   Any time over 40 hours is a donation of your time.  Work is work. People have kids to raise and laundry to do and other life priorities along with needing to pay the mortgage.  

  • brenda

    did this survey include menial manufacturing jobs or just white collar employment? i’m tired of having to remind myself (every morning) to be grateful for my paycheck. i don’t have a career type of job–don’t even really consider what i do to be a job, it’s just work and i get a paycheck. the owners of the company have college degrees and when those of us who do not have degrees give an opinion or have an idea, they look at us kind of funny. (we are the ones actually doing the real work but i guess we’re not supposed to have working brain cells) i would like to be doing something different but i don’t know what nor can i afford to go to school.

  • Gemelk

    At 29 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  It’s gone now and life is great.  What changed was that now I work to live, not live to work.  Employers need to understand that fundamental yet critical difference.  My #1 issue is that if I am expected to be responsible and accountable for my work quality and quantity, SO ARE MY SUPERIORS!  If I put in my 8 hours and the work product is good or better and on or ahead of time – stay out of my face and don’t think that because I’m good at what I do, you have the right to pile on more work.  More work = more money, lots more and more perks!  Employees are human beings, not slaves.  Oh, and those of you at the top, could not be there without those below you and you most certainly could not do what I do.  You don’t know or understand what I do and why it matters.  I treat you with respect (whether you deserve it or not), I expect the same.

  • L Entarteur

    And I say to my people’s masters: Beware, Beware of the thing that is coming, beware of the risen people, Who shall take what ye would not give. 

  • Gracie V

    Good point, but sorry to tell you that in the ed biz, as a teacher, I’ve had a lot more education, degrees from accredited university, than my supervisors. Last school principal had an off-brand, on-line EdD.  Read his dissertation, OMG. He’s blames Manifest Desiny and “anglo” teachers for all the ills of education in the South West.  It’s worse than you think.  I’ve never had a principal respect me as an intellectual.  If they find out I’m well educated, they get scared and unethical.  Truth.

  • We9to4

    I give to my employer my precious time an effort to make them successful and enrich them and their family to great ends. Yet they are not satisfied with what they have gained, they seem to want my little gains as well ?